SC - Re: [Trimaris] Highnesses, Lownesses, and Period Cooking.

[grizly at mindspring.com]

your response here was well received by me.  there must be some compromise at times regarding food choices and paying customers.  There are a cople of things that do bear mentioning.

1) this is a Middle Ages recreation group whose general purpose is research and recreation of the Middle Ages.

2)  The portion of the message that has gotten everyone to hopping, to my reading, did not suggest that food needs to be more palatable.  It directly mentioned medieval food being pulled back in favor of enjoyable or digestible foods (to paraphrase).

3)  Volunteers we are, and we kow that.  We cooks still demand respect for our craft; not all of us are masters of that craft, but make honest efforts in most cases.  To have the assending highest royalty make such a statement from the Throne listed as Princess carries a somewhat more influenial weight on newer or less experienced people than if she had listed herself as just her name.  Intent or not, the effect will be felt as more people will come t o"know" medieval foods as inedible and foul meats overspiced.

4)  Helping in a kitchen that feeds 200 is a far distance from being the one whose respect and reputation is on the line.  Until one has actually been in the line of fire and felt the burden of feeding a large number of people in a SAFE, timely and pleasant manner, even in the midst of hostile or ambivelent attitudes, one cannot truly appreciate the passion and exhaustion that it is.

5)Encouraging cooks to improve their art and product is at all times neccessary and even uncomfortable at times.  This instance did not feel as such, but more of a prohibition or cutailment of creativity and ambition.  Again, it was likely not intended, but the intent is not what drives the world, but perception.(Not truth but perception of truth)

In the metaphor of you as knifemaker and consumers not buying what you make:  the people should, then, not buy feast space.  That would be parallel.  The Knifemaking Trade Association spokesman coming out and saying in a public forum that all knives should now be made of an equal cost titanium alloy because cold steel knives are inferior and should be avoided and only by methods developed recently (no hand forging); that would be a closer step to what we are feeling in our hearts about this situation.

All is seeming to die down and will improve as we all get the vented spleen back in shape and back into our kitchens to use this energy as inspiration to gather more into our flock who can experience good food and appreciate it when they do.  Also to ofer guidance to those that are missing the mark on their enthusisatic efforts (that would be most of us at one time or another).  I bare no ill will to the lady who published this letter, only regret the effort it will take to rebuild progress in medieval cooking that will have been lost due to it.

pacem et bonum,

niccolo difrancesco


sca-cooks at ansteorra.org wrote:
>  I'm not the one you blasted, but I am one who responded on this(Trimaris)list about period food. I cook, though not feasts, and both I and
my wife have been known to help out in the kitchen at events, so I have abit
of knowledge on the subject (I've also been a member off and on for some 25
years) I've been to a LOT of feasts over the years, some good some bad, and
some down right disasterous.
 I have also read the replies from the cooks list about the Princesses
request,  and I had no idea that we had so many prima donna chefs in the
SCA. I'm not talking about those who had reasonable replies and suggestions,
just the burger king/ mcdonalds types. Sure the cooks volunteer to bust
their butts to make a decent feast, and others bust their butts doing other
things at events. None of us get paid, and it sometimes costs us extra, but
so what, we knew that before we volunteered. People pay for feast, and as
such they should have the right to suggest that the food be acceptable to
THEIR palates and tastes. Does the word COMPROMISE ring a bell ?
 I'm a Custom Knifemaker, and if I don't make what people want, they won't
buy it. If you make a period feast that less than half of the people in the
hall can choke down, then why should they pay for it ? Just so the cook
doesn't have a snit? I don't think so.
 Neither I nor the Princesss suggested  purely non-period feasts, and
espacially not bugger king, what was suggested was that we be able to enjoy
the food, whether period or not.  I've had excellent feasts both in the
Midrealm and Trimaris, as well as some really bad ones, I prefer the good to
excellent ones.
 If the cooks in Trimaris, or any other Kingdom cannot take abit of
criticism without having fits, then they are probably not as good as they
think, because none of us are perfect(I've blown a few meals over the years
myself).
 In short, lighten up. There are what some eight hundred or so years worth
of recipes from about fifty different nations/cultures, surely a good cook
can find  a few dozen dishes of a less than fiery nature to serve for a few
feasts.

                                Raibhert Donnachaidh aka Duncan the etc.
                                (not the one IN the Dark Horde)